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Jess Holz

@jessholz.bsky.social

1.3K followers 2.9K following 190 posts

Artist and microscopist. MFA art + technology, but work in a neuro lab by day. Insects, neurons, electron microscopy… follow me to see lots of plankton videos… jessholz.com

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Nov 16

Hello hello world. I’m on here now. I am a microscope addict. I do a lot of plankton chronophotography, see below video of vorticella feeding currents. I love the microworld and consider myself an advocate for these tiny creatures, I like to make them visible. Will post more soon

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · 24d

Really loved this part of Plankton Performance at MIT museum. This part of Movement II: Charles river is done using timelapse and fluorescence microscopy. Note all the filamentous cyanobacteria. Big red blobs are rotifers with chlorophyll in their bellies swimming around. #sciart #experimentalvideo

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · 24d

If anyone is curious to see Plankton Performance at MIT Museum last Friday (my collaboration with sound artist Senem Pirler and local Boston plankton under the microscope), I just uploaded a video here: youtu.be/mIxZhLeqJoo?... #sciart #microscopy

Plankton Performance at MIT Museum Sept 12th 2025

YouTube video by Jess Holz

youtu.be

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · 25d

Also anyone have an id on this mystery critter from the Charles river I followed during the performance?

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · 25d

Hope to do a lot more collabs with Senem. Also my friend who works at the museum gave us the cutest gifts afterward. MIT museum has a killer gift shop- and for my stuff it’s just a fantastic space. Copepod bigger than a human on that screen! #sciart

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · 25d

I’m a day late for #fluorescencefriday but I had a blast at MIT museum ‘performing’ with live improvised sound by Dr. Senem Pirler. Vid shows fluorescence microscopy of the Charles river, note all the cyanobacteria. #sciart #plankton

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Sep 7

cool! yea i forgot it came from jellyfish right? Unfortunately I only have low magnification fluorescence so cannot ID it. I did notice a lot of little dinoflagellates in the sample though

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Sep 7

Last call for tickets for this unique concert! This is a big one for me so Boston folk, I’d love it if you could join. Video shows the trails of diatoms in timelapse. mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/pla... #sciart

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Sep 7

Plankton Performance, this Friday 7pm at MIT museum. I will be collaborating with plankton from the Charles river under my leicamicrosystems.bsky.social microscope, while Senem Pirler responds to their movements and behavior with sound. mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/pla... #sciart

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Sep 1

A rare green fluorescent flagellate, ‘swimming plant’, trails in timelapse under fluorescence microscopy. Anyone know what causes green fluorescence in marine critters? 99.9% of flagellates I find are red from chlorophyll. Sample collected from Boston harbor. #sciart #algae #plankton

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 30

timelapse of debris being swirled by currents

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 29

Also found blue copepods, red copepods, and robot looking copepods (middle pic). Can anyone help with an ID? #sciart #plankton

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 29

Found my first starfish larva! Check out the currents in timelapse. #sciart #zooplankton

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 29

Lovely vacation with my folks on Mt Desert Island in Maine. Amazing spot on the water, I brought a little scope and had a blast looking at sea life. Even the lichen next to the house had tardigrades! #sciart #microscopy

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 29

I’ll be ‘performing’ with lively plankton from the Charles river at MIT museum Sept 12th, 7pm. Composer Senem Pirler will respond to the plankton movements with sound. Would love to see you there! #sciart #microscopy

Leica Microsystems @leicamicrosystems.bsky.social · Aug 29

✨🦠 Join artist Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social & composer Senem Pirler for "Plankton Performance," a live sci-art experience under a Leica DMRB microscope!

📍 MIT Museum, Sept 12, 7PM EDT
🔗 Get info: https://fcld.ly/zzw2dn9

#sciart #planktonpainting #ScienceMeetsArt

Plankton Performance | MIT Museum

Join us for an improvised collaboration between artist Jess Holz and composer Senem Pirler.

fcld.ly

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 23

Also this unknown arthropod (I think) literally crawled out from under the coverslip! Made a beeline for my stage clips but then got confused and turned back. Never had anything like this happen before. I thought have looked at it but does anyone know what it is (sorry just have this vid)

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 23

Doesn’t this polychaete look a bit like Toothless? #sciart #zooplankton

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 23

Started my vacation with a family visit to my studio, looking at water from the harbor. My sister Brit is the one that crocheted me all the adorable critters (great for workshops too). And we found a polychaete that looked like toothless! Below. #microscopy #sciart

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Aug 9

I’m excited to announce Plankton Painting as a live audiovisual event/concert, in collaboration with Dr. Senem Pirler who will respond to the rhythms, textures, and motion of these lively organisms through sound. Boston folk, I’d love to see you there! mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/pla... #sciart

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Jul 12

Omg I just love the collaborative poster participants made. Including an appearance of ‘Plankton’ from spongebob (4th pic), and one cat lol. I donated it to the museum they will hang it in the classroom! #sciart #plankton

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Jul 12

Plankton painting at MIT museum was a blast! I’m stoked that 80 ppl came, the auditorium was almost full. See paintings from today at: flickr.com/PlanktonPainting Bosmina bloom in the Charles river right now, made things interesting. #sciart #microscopy

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Jul 10

Couple new species of plankton sticker just arrived for my workshop at @ MIT museum Saturday 11am. Boston folk, would love to see you there! You can nab one of @phyrexianmetamour.bsky.social pokémon inspired rotifers too! mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/pla... #sciart

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Jul 5

I absolutely love doing my program on MIT museums massive screen.

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Jul 5

Boston folk, I’ll be doing a plankton painting workshop at MIT museum next weekend July 12th 11-12:30pm. Come see plankton from the harbor and the Charles, and print out your timelapse creation. There will be plankton stickers! #sciart #microscopy

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Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Jul 5

the replies on this had me laughing so hard. www.reddit.com/r/todayilear... below is the species in the water btw

Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social · Jul 5

appears so. kinda gross to drink copepods though i do take a copepod oil supplement for the hell of it. just knowing their little squirmy bodies so well makes me not really want to ingest them alive tho oukosher.org/blog/consume...

New York City Tap Water Statement - OU Kosher

Tiny crustaceans called copepods have been found in New York City tap water. Read the OU's statement regarding its use in OU establishments.

oukosher.org